The Second Mistress
by Holliday1081
Summary: A JackAna one shot that directly follows the end of the movie when Anamaria turns the Black Pearl over to her true Captain.


Disclaimer: I own nothing from PotC.

A/N: This little oneshot is in response to a challenge from I'm A Daydream Believer, to write a story that takes place just after Anamaria turns the _Black Pearl_ over to Jack at the end of the movie.

**The Second Mistress**

The ship is yours.

When Anamaria had returned Jack's coat to his shoulders and turned the wheel over to him, she had not quite realized the truth in those four little words. But, if the spirit of the _Black Pearl_ could belong to any man, that man would undoubtedly be Jack Sparrow. Watching her Captain as he guided the ebony ship out of Port Royal's harbor and into the open sea, she shuddered to think of anyone else standing at the helm.

"Can we expect you t' get back to work anytime soon, luv?" Jack's voice broke into her daydream.

Blinking away images of skeletal pirates, Ana met the Captain's gaze. She had missed his deep chocolate eyes and his gilded smirk, though she wasn't ready to admit that to him. "We've a fair wind and a calm sea. What exactly would you have me do?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Jack's dark eyes sparkled in the fading sunlight. "I could use a bottle of rum . . . and a neck rub would be nice."

The man had an uncanny ability to rile her. "Jack Sparrow, you crazy son of a –". She pulled her hand back and was about to do some serious damage to the smug grin on his face, when Jack caught her hand in his.

"Ah, slowin' down on me, are ye, luv?" he said, his smile broadening. "Not goin' soft, I hope?"

Ana tried to pull her hand free of Jack's grasp, but he held fast. "Maybe I'm just givin' you a break," she said. "On account of the fact that you were almost hanged today."

"Very gracious," he said, pulling on her arm so that she was standing close enough to feel the steady drumming of her Captain's heartbeat.

Their eyes met. Neither spoke. Jack let go of Ana's arm, but she made no move to terminate their close contact. Trying to recall every day since she had first met Jack Sparrow, Ana remembered countless times that she had wished him dead, wished him out of her life. Most days, the man was infuriating. But, over the past few days, she discovered that the real possibility of losing Jack terrified her.

More terrifying still, was the fact that she could have been responsible for his death. He did not know, but after the governor's daughter had left the _Pearl_, Ana had taken the other ship's boat. She had crept into that treasure laden cave. Jack Sparrow was her Captain, and she had been determined not leave him behind, code or no code. She had seen him dueling with the man he used to call "friend." She had felt all the air rush from her lungs as Barbossa plunged his blade into Jack's torso. In that moment, she had seen something in his eyes that she had never seen before. Fear. Unable to tear her own eyes from her Captain, she had watched as he stumbled into the moonlight and became . . . became something else.

Ana did not believe in curses. The treasure of Cortez was just gold, and gold could not make a man's flesh rot off of his bones. But, she had seen Jack that night. The wound inflicted by Barbossa's sword was fatal. Yet, here Jack was, standing before her large as life.

"Can you imagine . . ." she started, her voice trailing off as she brought her hand up to Jack's chest, reassured by the living rhythm of his heart. For ten years, since Barbossa had taken the _Pearl_, she had heard stories of a crew driven by cruelty that could not be killed. Myth surrounded nearly every pirate in the Caribbean, but most were not remotely connected to the truth. In start contrast, Ana had been violently confronted by the reality of Barbossa's cursed crew. She had seen their bodies turn to decaying carcasses beneath the moon's light. "I wonder what it feels like to be . . . to be dead."

"Nothing."

Ana jumped at the sound of Jack's voice. She had been caught in a memory, and had not realized that she spoke out loud. If she had every intended to ask Jack about that night, certainly she would have waited for a more opportune moment. Searching his face, Ana was troubled by the darkness that had taken over his visage. "Jack?"

Shaking his head, as if he were dispelling a daydream, Jack produced a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Sorry, luv, what were ye sayin?"

Ana furrowed her brow. Jack had been searching for his ship and his mutinous crew for ten years. He could not finally meet up with his betrayer and come through the experience unscathed. Barbossa was dead. The _Pearl_ was reunited with her rightful commander. Jack had gotten his revenge. He had what he wanted, but at what cost? Glancing down at the bandage encircling Jack's hand, Ana fought against the lump forming in her throat. He, like Barbossa's crew, had been cursed by Cortez's treasure. He had known death, and now lived with that memory.

"I just wanted to tell you," Ana paused. "It's good to have you back, Captain." Those few words could not possibly encompass what Ana truly wanted to say, but those simple words would do for now. Someday, she'd tell him what she felt in her heart.

Jack's face softened. Running his fingers through her dark hair, he smiled. "Good to be home, luv."

Over the years, the pirate Captain had gotten under her skin. He had become a part of her, a part that she did not want to live without. Every day since she had met Jack, he had been a man betrayed. A man who wanted nothing in life but his ship. Standing with him now, on the deck of that ship, Ana could not help but wonder if anything had changed. If maybe, Jack Sparrow had room in his life for another mistress.

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Please, leave me a review before you move on.

Daydream Believer: You promised to write a fic just for little old me if I responded to this challenge, so I'll be waiting!


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